A Father's Life
by EternallyDrowning
Summary: “This is insane, Principle Tsunade!” the teacher yelled as he slammed his fists on the principle’s desk. “Calm yourself, Kakashi! The documentation is right here in the will. You are the legal guardian of the girl. Start acting like a father!"
1. Chapter 1

_Okay all you loyal Naruto obsessed fanatics! (me included) Here is my newest story! I've been thinking about this scenario for a couple days and it's been driving me nuts! So I wrote down how I imagined it to go and dun, dun, dun DA! Viola! Read and Review people. If you don't review then don't bother reading please. Wait, I take that back. I want you to read, but please review if you do! If not I'll get severely depressed! I really need your-guises help to make this story great, and believe me, it's gonna be a hell of a great one! I love this storyline!_

_Oh, and when you think of Ayumi, think of what Clare from_ Claymore _looked like when she was a human._

_Anyway, I do not own Naruto, and if I did then kittens would rule the world._

_Enjoy and REVIEW!

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"This is insane, Principle Tsunade!" the teacher yelled as he slammed his fist on the principle's desk.

"Control yourself, Kakashi! The documentation is right here in the will. You are the legal guardian of the kid. Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to be like a father to the girl." Tsunade yelled back, a little calmer than the man in front of her.

"I don't know how to take care of a kid, much less be like a father to one!" he protested.

"Then I suggest you learn! Besides, it's not like it's a little baby, it's just a thirteen year old teenager. How hard can it be?" she snapped back.

"Why don't they just send the kid off to an orphanage like any other person would?" Kakashi hissed.

Tsunade sighed.

"This is a special case, Kakashi. Most orphans don't see their whole family burn to death before their eyes. Such a case deserves special care. Not only were you a close enough friend to the kid's mother to be considered the best guardian if she should die, but you are one of the best teachers this school has ever known. Give me one good reason why you can't take care of the kid?" the principle said with a voice full of condolence.

"Is there something wrong with her?" the somewhat calmer teacher asked. He had now realized the girl's situation.

"Well, sort of…I guess you could call it emotional shock." she started, "She won't talk. Not even a little."

Kakashi sighed in defeat and pinched the bridge of his nose in concentration.

"There's no avoiding this is there?" he said quietly.

"I'm afraid not." came the reply he had hoped wasn't the answer.

"Where is she?"

"Right now she's in Kurenai's office. She's waiting with her there until this is sorted out."

"I see. I suppose I should go see her now."

"That would be the best."

With that Tsunade stood up and walked with Kakashi out the door toward the counseling office.

* * *

_Knock.Knock.Knock._

"Come in." said the angelic voice of Kurenai.

Tsunade opened the door and walked in with Kakashi right behind her.

Kakashi looked around the small room.

Kurenai was sitting on the couch with her arms around the shoulders of a girl in a comforting manner.

He looked closer at the unfamiliar person.

She had long copper hair held in a low pony-tale, hanging in front of her shoulder, all the way down to her waist. She was staring intently down at her folded hands resting on her lap.

Kurenai looked up at Kakashi, then back down at the girl.

"Ayumi, there's someone here to see you. Would you like to say hello?" she said smoothly.

The girl looked up to the two intruders.

Kakashi held in a gasp.

The girl had bright beautiful auburn eyes, the most stunning he had ever seen, but they just stared blankly, no life what-so-ever.

After their temporary eye meet, the girl let her eyes wander to Tsunade.

"Ayumi, this is Kakashi. He's a teacher at this school and is your new guardian, so you'll be staying with him from now on. He was a close friend of your mother's." Tsunade explained in a soothing voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ayumi." Kakashi said trying to break the ice.

She just stared.

"Ayumi, he's going to be taking care of you now, do you understand?" Kurenai asked.

Aymi nodded her head once.

"It's settled then." Tsunade announced. "Kakashi, why don't you take her home with you now? It'll be easier for her to get settle in over the weekend. School will start Monday for her. Here's her things." She finished, grabbing a duffel bag off of the floor by the wall.

Kakashi nodded as he grabbed the bag from her, before walked forward and holding out his hand to the girl.

"Well then, Ayumi, shall we get going?" he said with a smile hidden behind his mask, but visible in his voice.

She nodded her head emotionlessly before standing up and taking his hand in her own.

"Kakashi, I know taking care of a kid is new for you and all, but I expect you to meet with me tomorrow morning, and this time _try_ not to be late." Tsuande announced in Principle mode.

Kakashi nodded weakly before walking out the door with Ayumi.

-

-

-

"Do you think it's safe for her to be moving so soon?" the principle asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Tsunade, in all of my years of studying the human mind, I believe that in this case, the best thing to help her move forward from her shock is to have her life begin to move forward as well." the counselor stated.

"Well, if you're so sure, but do you think Kakashi is the best thing for her?"

Kurenai took a moment to think, then she looked up with a hint of determination in her eyes.

"I believe that Kakashi will help Ayumi, but I also believe that Ayumi, in turn, will help Kakashi in ways he believes he doesn't need to be helped. By having the two together, I believe a strong family bond will form before they even notice what's happening. And right now, both of them are in need of that."

"I see."

* * *

"I don't live _too_ far away, but there's enough space to do things without worrying about backyard neighbors." Kakashi started, breaking the silence of the drive to his house. He stole a quick glance at the girl looking out the passenger window, before directing his gaze back to the road.

He sighed and clutched the steering wheel tighter.

The silence returned, and stayed, for the rest of the five minutes of the drive.

Once the driveway was in view, Kakashi tuned slowly and made his way up the ramp, leading to the place he called home. Once he pulled up as close to the house as he wanted, he parked the car, got out, and walked to the other side to open the door for Ayumi.

"It's needs a little work, but its home." he pointed out as she stepped out of the car, clutching her duffel bag to her chest.

The house was a two story white building. The shudders by the windows were somewhat falling off, and the whole building itself was in a dire need of a paint job. The garden was full of weeds, and the grass was browning. Any women that passed the house would know that it was a man living there, and apparently one without a woman in the house. Other than that is was actually quite stunning. It wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't cheap either. The whole top floor was filled with windows looking in different rooms…or maybe a few large rooms. It wasn't too shabby at all.

Kakashi looked over to his new family member and nearly gasped.

Ayumi's once dead eyes were now wide with fascination, a small hint of life once again sparking in the deep auburn orbs, but it was gone a little while later.

He smiled at her progress…and adorableness, but it suddenly dropped into a look of horror.

She noticed the change and stared at him.

"A-Ayumi, um…w-well…you see…I wasn't expecting any company…so…um, well…the house…it's…a b-bit…_messy._" he stuttered.

She looked at him funny, like he had lost his mind.

Completely ignoring the traumatized teacher, she started walking to the house, with him tailing her with the house-key in hand.

She waited patiently as he tuned the key in the lock and opened the door.

Both of them walked in.

Their jaws dropped.

The kitchen and living room, which were the only rooms visible from the doorway, were a complete mess. Trash bags laid everywhere, on the couch, on the floor, on top of other trash bags… Garbage not in the trash bags were strewn everywhere. In the kitchen, the sink was overflowing with dirty dishes, and the countertop was littered with pizza boxes and crumbs. Anyplace that was free from food, garbage, and dirty dishes, was covered with dirty clothes.

Kakashi gave an inhuman sound of horror as he rushed over to the lamp in front of them to grab and hide the pair of his boxers living on top of it.

"Hehe…I told you it was a bit messy…" he laughed awkwardly.

Ayumi gave him a 'look' which Kakashi, being the genius man he is, interpreted immediately as "A bit? You must be insane! This place is a goddamn pigsty!"

Ayumi changed her stare, this time it was a look of complete disbelief.

"What?" Kakashi asked. "Was that not what you were thinking?"

Yes, Kakashi had said aloud what he thought she was thinking.

Ayumi nodded vigorously and looked back at the dirty house.

She cringed.

Her teacher glanced at her in time to see her eye twitch furiously.

He gave out an amused laugh.

The girl casually walked over to the laughing man…and punched him on the shoulder.

He stopped laughing.

"Hey! That's not fair! Beating up an old man like me…jeez!" he said sarcastically as he rubbed his arm. It hurt.

Completely ignoring the outburst her immature guardian just gave, Ayumi untied her long copper hair from it's ponytail to readjust it in a tight bun at the top of her head. Then she grabbed the leather string that was tied around her wrist a few times, and used it to tie back her sleeves to her elbows.

"Don't tell me you're going to…!" Kakashi demanded fearfully.

The only reply to his comment was a cocky grin making its way up the girl's red lips.

* * *

"You know…you don't have to do this." Kakashi reminded the girl as she ran back and forth pushing a damp cloth (she miraculously was able to find a _clean_ one) across the floorboards with her hands.

She's been at this for two hours now.

So far the dishes had all been washed and put away, the trash had been bagged and brought out to the sidewalk for pickup with the other bags (there was a huge pile, so big it took her about twenty-three runs to get them all outside) the fridge had been raided and cleaned (half the stuff in there was months past its due date, and the poor mold-buddies had been kicked out of their house and viciously killed with disinfectants) the dirty clothes had been picked up and thrown in the wash (all of which Kakashi had decided to do himself, being most of the stuff was boxers) and now Ayumi was vigorously scrubbing down everything in the house; the walls, the floors, the windows, desks, etc.

"Jeez, you go to a new home and you aren't even a little nervous, instead you ransack the place is a cleaning frenzy without the owner's permission." Kakashi said with sarcastic boredom as he closed his eyes to take a nap from his spot on the couch. It wasn't long before he was drifting off into sleep.

Meanwhile Ayumi finished putting the cleaning supplies away when she noticed a book by her duffel bag. Finding nothing else to do, she picked it up casually and opened the cover.

* * *

After what seemed like a very short amount of time for Kakashi himself, he had awakened from his sleep to look around at the unfamiliar place around him.

He jumped up in surprise.

'_This is not my house!'_ he thought nervously.

No, his house did not have a clean, unstained tan carpet (hell, he didn't even know he had a carpet, much less a tan one) His house did not have clean shining windows that allowed insane amounts of sunlight to shine through. His house was not this bright! His house was not this clean! This was not his house!

He looked around terrified, trying to find the nearest exit.

His sudden burst of hysterics was interrupted by the sound of a page flipping.

He looked over to the deep edged widow sill to see a copper haired girl sitting on the sill, reading.

Reality snapped back and bit him in the eye.

'_That's right, Ayumi is living with me now'_ he remembered.

"Morning, Ayumi." He said with a yawn and stretch. He brought one hand up to one eye, and the other eye hidden by silver bangs, to wipe any form of sleep away.

Ayumi glared.

Kakashi cringed. _'S-Scary'_

He lazily lay back down on the couch with his arms folded behind his head as a pillow before closing his eyes once again to get a little more much needed sleep. "Well sorry! Jeez, give a tired old guy a break, how was I supposed to know it wasn't morning yet!" he said with a voice filled once again with a mock sarcastic edge.

Ayumi sighed at his parenting tactics and went back to reading once again.

Kakashi lazily opened one eye and glanced over at her from her spot on the windowsill. What was she reading anyway?

It was a small book that much he knew. He squinted his eye to try and get a better look.

"Come……………Come……………Paradise." He made out slowly. "Come, Come PARADISE!" Kakashi instantly tried to spring off the couch to save the poor girl's virgin (he hoped) mind. Unfortunately he fell off the couch in the process. He tried to scramble as fast as he could toward the girl, but it was too late.

Her face instantly turned completely red in the deepest blush humanly possible.

'_I'm too late!' _his mind screamed. "You really shouldn't be reading a book like that at your age, would you mind giving that back to me? Now, come on, be a good girl and hand it over to me. Please?" he asked with insane calmness compared to the mental meltdown he was having inside.

Ayumi stared at him red faced, then at the book, then back at the man.

'_Shit! I just told her the book was mine!' _he mentally screamed as he ripped out his hair frantically from the inside of his head.

Slowly, Ayumi placed the book on the edge of the windowsill. Then she stood up even slower, trying to escape the wild animal in her view, and hesitantly walked backwards against the wall toward the staircase that led as far away from Kakashi as possible.

"Ayumi, this is not what it seems." He said calmly. _'Yes, just deal with her like a criminal. You are the negotiator. Just stay calm, and tell her that that this is all just a big misunderstanding. She'll understand. It'll all work out. Just tell her the truth. You are not a perverted lonely man…Oh my god! That's a lie! I'm screwed! Someone just shoot me now!'_

With that happy train of thought, Ayumi had finished her delicate backward walk to the staircase, turned around, and bolted up to the second floor as fast as she could.

Kakashi chaced after her to the bottom of the staircase.

"I swear it's not like that! AYUMI!"

* * *

_So what did you think? Should I continue?_

_I won't know if you want me to continue unless you REVIEW! _hint, hint_ Catch what I'm saying?_

_I'll try to update my stories soon._

_Bare with me peoples, I'm only one pathetically lazy person. I'm trying here!_


	2. 6 New Friends

_Thank you Kakashi-fan (sweet screen name by the way) At least you reviewed. HOW NICE OF YOU!_

_Anyway you other 52 readers who I don't know the names of _cough, cough_ here's the newest chapter._

_Enjoy!

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'_Deep breath, you just need to take a deep breath. You can do this' _Kakashi thought intensely as he paced vigorously back and forth in the family room.

Pacing.

Never before had Kakashi had to resort to pacing to figure something out.

'_If I just explain to her that I had that book because…that doesn't work either! That just makes me sound like more of a lonely perverted man!' _

He hit his head against the wall.

Self inflicted pain.

Never before had Kakashi had to resort to hitting his head on the wall for self inflicted pain to figure something out.

'_All I have to do is go upstairs and…wait…upstairs is…NO! I forgot to tell her about _them_!' _

With that, the now frantic teacher raced up the stairs to save the poor little girl from the horrors she was about to face.

* * *

"A-Ayumi… How did you?" asked the unbelieving man to the beaming girl in front of him.

She looked up at him, and smiled.

Surrounding her were six fearsome snarling creatures.

Correction.

Surrounding _him_ were six fearsome snarling creatures.

Ayumi looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

Kakashi sighed.

"This is quite a troublesome situation, but at least I know you are a natural. But…who do you think is the one that trained them?" he asked evilly. "Tasha! Mikki! Trever! Kouga! Angel! Fang! SIT!"

All the creatures surrounding him sat down.

The masked man beamed with pride as tears of joy threatened to come out of his visible eye. "Good doggies! Who're the best doggies in the whole wide world? Yes! Yes! You are! You're the best doggies in the whole wide world! You're such good little babies! Come and give Daddy a big wet kiss! Come on! Give me kissy!" he praised with a very… childish …parenting tone. (Yes, this is the infamous adult talking to baby sort of tone)

Aymui just stood there, staring in complete shock and embarrassment.

"Come and give Daddy a kiss! Come on-AHH! Not all at once! NO!"

Too late, the poor man was completely trampled, pinned down, and slobbered to near death by his own dogs.

"That's enough! Enough! Come on! Stop already! Jezz, this is ridiculous. AH! Trever! Don't lick inside my mouth! I said don't… blah! That's disgusting!"

Something unfamiliar broke his pleading cries.

He stopped his wails to better hear the unknown sound ringing throughout the halls.

Laughter?

Kakashi managed to sit up from his furry grave to look at the source of the sound, Ayumi. She was lying on the floor holding her stomach as she laughed her self silly.

"Hey, Ayumi, what do you think is s-Ah! Dammit Trever! I said stop!" he wailed.

The girl just laughed harder in between deep gasps for air.

"Oh, I bet you think this is real funny, don't ya, kid?" he snarled. "Well, how would you like it if you were in my position right now?"

Ayumi stopped laughing and gave him a glare the screamed 'You wouldn't dare'.

The smirking man took a deep breath. "Tasha! Mikki! Trever! Kouga! Angel! Fang! GREET!"

Immediately all the dogs bounded over to the girls still lying on the floor, and started slobbering all over her. Choking sounds and gasps for air were heard, but Kakashi watched as an evil revengeful laugh escaped his lips. _'She deserves this for making me suffer with Trever'_

**5 minutes later**

"Heheh…sorry about that, Ayumi. I forgot to tell you I had dogs." Kakashi explained innocently ignoring the whole revenge incident he had just condemned her to only moments before.

She sat there cross-legged in front of him.

"I guess I should probably introduce them now, huh?" he said with an exhausted sigh.

Ayumi nodded once in agreement.

"This pretty ol' girl," he said pointing to the medium sized dog by his feet, "is a Belgian Tervuren named Tasha. The Shiba Inu behind you is Mikki, that big old black one by the staircase," he continued, pointing behind him, "is Kouga the Schipperke. Next is that scrawny little pup in front of me known as a Mackenzie River Husky, Fang." Kakashi pointed to his left side where a large hunky was sitting. "This big terror here is an Alaskan Malamute named Trever." He introduced as he patted him on the nose. "Ow!" Trever bit him. "The guy is a complete and total bastard and a hundred percent pain in the ass." he hissed.

Ayumi snickered a bit.

Kakashi stood up and slowly walked over to the doorway beside Ayumi, and crouched down to gently stroke the white dog sitting patiently there.

"This beauty right here is a pure bred Samoyed. She's Angel, my baby, and one of the most respectful, gentle, and patient animals you'll ever find anywhere. She acts like a mother to the other dogs, and is one of the sole reasons I've lasted so long on my own like this." He said smoothly as he continued to stroke her head. Angel licked his other hand comfortingly.

Ayumi stared at them, and noticed there was a distinct shine in her guardian's eyes.

He truly cares about Angel.

"Wha?" Kakashi was separated from his him and Angel moment when someone sat down next to him.

"Ayumi?"

The girl merely reached out her hand toward Angel, and got a friendly lick.

She smiled, and then began to stroke the white fur on the beautiful Samoyed.

"I told you she was gentle."

Ayumi nodded.

"What wou-" His sentence was interrupted by a loud grumble from his stomach.

Kakashi blushd slightly from under his mask and sighed.

"Well, should we eat?"

Another nod.

* * *

"So, what will it be? Pizza? Chinese? Fast food?" the guardian asked from the kitchen. He was listing off all the order or take out restaurants he could think of.

His 'daughter' stared at him in disbelief.

" 'My god, you can't even cook? How have you survived? How are you not fat!' or something like that, right?" Kakashi interpreted. "Simple, I work out a lot and have an extremely high metabolism." he explained with a proud pat on his _very_ muscular arm.

Ayumi's eye twitched.

"So, what will it be?" he asked again.

The only answer he got was a girl digging in his cupboards for a sauce pan.

"You aren't going to…" he asked horrified. "What can you possible make from the little food I have in the house?"

**20 minutes later**

"I-Impossible!" Kakashi squeaked as a plate of hot steaming spaghetti and meat sauce was placed before him.

He stared at his food and then and Ayumi.

He gawked.

Her copper hair was tied back in a tight bun and she was wearing a towel as an apron. There was even a smear of flour on the side of her cheek.

'_She's so cute!' _he gasped inwardly. _'What an adorable little girl!'_

Ayumi wiped her hand against her forehead trying to get a piece of hair from her eyes, and then she made her way over to the table to sit next to her guardian with her own plate of noodles.

They ate in silence.

When they finished, Ayumi generously took the dirty plates over to the sink to wash them. When they were all put away, she went over to a cupboard located beneath the sink and grabbed a big heavy bag of dog food. After filling ten separate bowls with food and water for the animals, she turned toward the staircase, put two fingers in her mouth, and whistled a high pitched sound.

A herd of wild animals made their way down the stairs in record time.

Right as the generous girl was standing up with the bag of food, to put it away, all the animals came charging at her with full speed.

_CRASH!_

An amused laugh from Kakashi broke the silence that followed.

Ayumi sat stunned from her fallen position on the floor with a half empty bag of dog food in her hand, and the rest of the food flying everywhere and landing on the floor, the countertop, and the girl herself, while the dogs had already raced to the other side of the room past her to eat the food she had laid out for them.

"You have to agree, Ayumi, the way you look right now is so funny! You're face was…" Kakashi laughed wiping a tear from his eye.

Ayumi sat completely still in her stunned position from the floor. Her face was frozen in a look of shock and bewilderment as she held the dog food half way in the air.

"Hey, you left the sauce's burner on. Don't forget to turn it off." the teacher said boredly as he leaned over the edge of the couch with his elbows to get a better look at he girl.

She finally was struck out of her trance and nodded.

Just then a bark rang through out the house as Trever came racing past to go slobber Kakashi more, and in doing so his tail knocked over the steaming hot sauce kettle.

"Ayumi!" Kakashi yelled frantically as he leapt over the couch to the girl.

It was too late.

The steaming hot sauce fell all over her.

Her eyes clouded up with tears and just as Kakashi reached her she opened her mouth, and released a blood curling scream of pain.

"Ayumi!"

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

* * *

_Yeah, yeah, I know, it's short and crappy chapter. I didn't really like how it turned out, but I'm too lazy to rewrite it. Maybe I'll change it later on, who knows?_

_Oh, and seriously people, look up pictures of these dogs, they're BEAUTIFUL! I want one of each and I'll name them exactly those names too! (yes I am a dog fan, but I love cats too!)_

_You know the drill people, read and review please._


	3. A Guardian and Angel

**Finally updated this one! Yay me! I still can't believe I haven't updated this thing for like…** _GASPS!_** SEVEN MONTHS! WHERE THE HELL HAVE I BEEN THIS WHOLE TIME!?**

**Reader: **_**Being a lazy ass procrastinator…**_

**Me: **_**Oh…right…SORRY!**_

**It's kinda crappy. In fact, this whole story isn't the best I can do, but that's because it's in the **_**he/she**_** format. I personally SUCK at that type. I'm more of an **_**I/me**_** kinda writer. (Narcissistically self centered, I know LOL)**

* * *

"Easy, easy. Deep breaths." Kakashi ordered as he placed Ayumi's hand under the cold sink water.

'_There's too many burns, this faucet isn't going to cover it' _

She winced as the water touched the burns and gave a pleading gaze to Kakashi.

It hurts.

He nodded.

Ayumi was still tearing up and fighting back sobs when her legs gave way.

"Hold on." he commanded as he picked her up bridal style and raced up the stairs.

* * *

"Is it any better?" he asked concerned.

Ayumi was under the shower, fully dressed, so that cold water would indirectly pound on her hurting skin.

She nodded solemnly.

"That's good." he added as he bent over toward the cupboard to his left and grabbed a bottle of green liquid.

Ayumi reached up and stopped the shower.

The silver haired man pulled back the curtain and quickly handed her a towel to dry herself before the cold air met with the water. She gladly accepted it and gently began patting away droplets of water that threatened to fall, and pieces of moist hair that tried to wet the rest of her again.

"This is a bottle of Aloe-Vera oil. It will help with the burns." he informed holding out the bottle.

Again the girl nodded and hesitantly unclenched her hands from the towel that was once secure to her arms and turned around, pulled up her shirt, and let Kakashi apply the ointment to her back.

"This might be a little cold…" he warned.

His hand smeared the goo onto her already sore, cold skin.

The moment it did, Ayami cringed away from his hand, but relaxed a moment later when she realized the soothing feeling that was being applied to her burns.

The next few minutes were spent with Kakashi applying the ointment, and Ayumi moving her hair or her arm so that he could better reach her wounds. When all the solution was applied, Kakashi delicately covered her burns in a thin layer of wrapping bandages. This would allow her to sleep without disturbing the ointment, or causing any discomfort during the night.

By the time they were finished, the sun had already begun to set and dark shadows were replacing where beams of sunlight had reached moments before.

The two walked silently out of the bathroom.

Now, Kakashi was used to silence…not necessarily silence from his classroom…but he was used to people who wouldn't open up to others. However, for some reason this silence became a thick blanket that threatened to suffocate him with each passing step he took against the carpeted floor.

He cleared his throat in a pitiful attempt to try and speak. "Do you know where your room is?"

Ayumi kept her eyes forward as she walked, but nodded her head once.

The silence returned, only being disturbed by the sound of bare feet against the wood floor once they stepped off the carpeted one.

Moving his head toward the wall to avoid looking at Ayumi in false hopes of conversation, he kept walking, only to stop quickly a moment later when they reached Ayumi's bedroom door.

She turned to him, expecting him to say something.

Clearing his throat again, Kakashi accepted her expectations and managed to make a single cracked sound.

"Night."

His "daughter" nodded again, then turned and opened the door, disappearing to the empty darkness within.

Kakashi stared at the wood of Ayumi's closed door.

He hadn't moved since she went inside.

A wet tongue met with his fisted hand.

He relaxed it at the touch, and looked down to find the owner of the calming, reassuring support.

"Thank you, Angel."

The beautiful she dog replied with a gentle nuzzling against his hand.

"Shall we go to bed?" Kakashi says suddenly, giving his full attention to the Samoyed.

Angel barks slightly in response and chases her tail a bit.

A much needed laugh escapes the tired man's throat.

"Alrighty then, let's go.

The master and loyal dog made their way to their own room, and settled in for the night.

**12:04 A.M. **_**Ayumi's Room**_

Bed sheets ruffle violently as the young girl turns around frantically in a dream like state.

Terrified whimpering can be heard coming out of the child, and the more she whimpers, the more she moves.

The bed sheets are tightening themselves around her body, capturing her in a fabricated straitjacket.

The new prison brings a great fear to the sleeping girl's subconscious mind, and her nightmares increase in intensity, as well as ferociousness.

**12:09 A.M. **_**Kakashi's Room**_

Snoring.

A silver haired man sleeps, hand tiredly blockading a view of his face.

He is at peace, not stirring, never even noticing the fear from the room next door.

There is, however, one that does notice it.

"Mnwya…" Kakshi groaned as a wet nose nudges him in his sleep.

Fangs encase his fingers and slightly bite down, soft at first, getting harder, and harder, and…

"Ouch!"

The silver haired man sprang up in bed, only to see a white Samoyed looking at him with pleading blue eyes.

"Angel? Do you have to go to the bathroom?" the response is a bark. "Alrighty! Alrighty. Though I could have sworn you went out already…"

Dog and master, though I'm not sure which is which, make their way for the door, and as soon as the knob is turned, and the door slightly opened, Angel bursts out of the room, running full speed down the hall.

Kakashi was shocked. "Wow! You must really have to go!"

Angel ran through the hallway, closer to her destination.

When the door was in sight, she slowed, stopping at its entrance, then quietly used her snout to push the door open, making her way inside.

"Angel! No! Come." came a hoarsely hushed whisper from the man jogging down the hall after the dog.

"Angel!" he threatened through clenched teeth as he burst through the door.

What he saw made his heart sink.

...Ayumi...

...crying.

He took a stunned step forward as the scene before him reveled itself to him.

Angel had managed to settle herself beneath the child, having the girl use her side as a pillow, while she tenderly licked away the salty tears she shed.

The poor child's thin pale arms rapped around her neck as she did.

Stopping momentarily to give her cheek a tender reassuring lick, the Samoyed placed her tired head upon the calming girl.

Kakashi sighed at the two sleeping forms.

"Looks like you beat me Angel. You're motherly intuition is far better than my pathetic instincts.

The dog's eye opened up slightly, as if confirming what her master just said, before closing it tiredly again.

Leaving the room, the dogless man returned to his bedroom.

**Next Morning…**

"Ayumi…" the masked Kakashi suddenly started, breaking the silence of breakfast.

The girl froze, her piece of toast in her mouth stilled as well, sticking out of her lips innocently.

Her caretaker blushed slightly at the adorable scene.

He cleared his throat, ready to have their much needed talk.

"School starts tomorrow, so I'm gonna talk you through some of the things you should be expecting when you get there." _'Shit! That was not what I was going to talk about! Oh well, I'll have to talk about THIS now…'_

"Our school is not like most schools. We have geniuses, wannabes, prodigies, extremely youthfuls, scary, dangerous, muggers, pretties, uglies, normals, shies, and moronic idiots…especially blonde moronic idiots…"

He was completely off topic now.

A quick glance at his "daughter" proved to him how lost she was with his speech.

"Anyway, be on the lookout, and if anything happens, make sure to tell me right away."

Kakashi stopped, realizing what he just said to a mute girl.

"Er…come and find me right away."

Looking at the girl again, he saw her nod her head once, then decided the speech was over.

The copper haired girl picked up her empty plate, walked to the sink to rinse it off, then turned toward the stairs, heading for her room.

'_It's now or never!'_

"Ayumi…" two strong arms rapped themselves around the small girls frame from behind.

They pulled the tense girl closer to the torso of the man behind her.

"You…you don't have to be scared here. Last night, you were really scared…right?" her masked caretaker said quietly in her ear.

She relaxed slightly.

"While you're here, nothing is going to happen. I promise." he pulled her closer still. "Even if I'm not home, you will be taken care of. Besides, Angel seems to have taken a motherly liking to you…" with those words, his arms released the girl, and the man started walking away.

"_Ooph!"_

A now stunned Kakashi turned around to see Ayumi, who clutched his oversized shirt tightly. Her face was buried into his chest, but he could feel a slight wetness from tears.

"It's okay." he repeated, once again rapping his arms around her, this time in a tight hug.

She hugged him back.

"I'm really glad…you trust me."

Ayumi nodded again, lifting her face to send him an acknowledging smile.

'_Kakashi will protect me'_

That is what her eyes said, with a fierce determination.

'_I will trust this man, who has promised to protect me, definitely'_

* * *

**So, I know it's kinda short, but I though I would stop it there then make her first day of school come tomorrow…though the next chapter might be longer and separated into parts/chapters to cover the whole day…**


	4. Lost and Confused

**Seems like forever since I've updated this…though I really should update my Ghost Hunt story…I finally have a plot for it… **_**sighs**_

**Well, this chapter is kinda weird, just cuz I'm really tired and all, so, yeah, sorry 'bout that… hehe…**

**Being this is in the 'she/he' form, I think I had a pretty kick ass start considering I don't usually do this type, but I kinda lost my touch toward the end…so again, sorry 'bout that. I didn't really know how to change it so…SORRY!**

**WHY IS IT THAT DURING SUMMER VACATION WHEN I CAN ACTUALLY WRITE I HAVE NO IDEA **_**WHAT**_** TO WRITE!?**

**Damn you Muphy's Law… **_**growling**_

**Also, sorry for any spelling mistakes, when I read them on the edit/preview thing it's harder for me to find them than when I'm reading it in story form...if that made any sense at all. So if you see any mistakes feel free to tell me.**

**So, enough with me apologizing, here's the chapter…if anyone is still reading this…**

* * *

The first class of the day, Homeroom, had started, yet everyone in the room was acting as though they had not noticed. A blonde and a pink haired girl in the back were talking rather loudly, arguing about someone named Sasuke over the empty desk between them, to the left another, _louder_, blonde was busy throwing paper airplanes, yet a boy wearing a spiky pony-tail was drooling as he slept on his desk, completely oblivious to the racket the teens were making.

In the front of the room was their teacher, as well as a girl that no one knew.

"Class, this is Ayumi. She's our new student as of today." Kakashi "smiled" to the class.

Well, they assumed he smiled, they never really could tell because of the mask…

The students of the class gazed boredly at the new girl, dressed in pale jeans an and a dark maroon hooded sweater, in the front, slightly annoyed that their morning talks had been interrupted.

Her hair was long and copper, so much in fact, that it looked like it could be sold as money. She held herself closely, her thick-with-fabric arm caging the other, showing how self conscious she was, as she looked out shyly at the crowded classroom in front of her, who returned hers with a bored glance.

Nothing new.

Nothing interesting.

Kakashi stared out at his audience. "Any questions?"

"Yeah!" came the cry of the loudmouthed blonde. "Kakashi, why do you always wear that mask!?"

The masked teacher merely picked up an orange Come Come Paradise book and began reading while he answered the blonde. "That's because, Naruto, I have a bad cold, and I wouldn't want to spread it to all of my precious students now would I?" he said tiredly.

At first it seemed as though the loudmouth was going to accept that story; that was until…

"Kakashi that's BULL! I've known you for FIVE YEARS and never ONCE have I seen you without that mask!"

A smiling eye looked up from reading. "I've had a very _long_ cold."

The boy called Naruto growled and muttered a few well chosen words, yet sat back down.

"So, any other questions?" the happified teacher asked, a bright smile like glow emitting form his single visible eye.

Nothing.

"Well then, Ayumi, why don't you go sit over there between Sakura and Ino." the silver haired man said sweetly, turned toward the shy girl.

She stared at him, confused, as well as scared.

"Ino is the blue eyed blonde _girl_," he started, placing a delicate hand on Ayumi's shoulder, "and Sakura is the green eyed pink haired girl."

Two girls in the room raised their hands slightly, signaling the girl where they were.

She smiled politely in reply, quickly walking over to the empty desk between them. She placed her books down on the desk quietly and was about to sit when she was called on.

"Ayumi, I'm sorry I forgot, but you are supposed to go to Kurenai's office to go over a few things with her." Kakashi spoke loudly, making sure everyone heard. "Please go now."

A slight nod was given to him in reply, and she soon disappeared out of the room.

Sakura and Ino began talking again, Naruto started complaining on how he wanted ramen to be on the school's breakfast menu, and soon the whole class was loudly chatting away.

Kakashi walked to the center of the white board, crossed his arms, and glared.

"I have a very important matter to discuss."

No one heard him.

His glare intensified, causing the students to turn forward, fearful of the dangerous aura he was giving off.

He cleared his throat.

"As you know, Ayumi is our new student this quarter, but she is different from the others." This got everyone's attention. "Because of certain circumstances in her past, Ayumi cannot talk."

A shocked gasp came out of Ino's mouth. She could not imagine how horrible it would be if one couldn't talk.

Kakashi carried on in a dead serious tone. "Since she is not able to talk, I get the disgusted feeling that some of you will harass her. So I am laying out all the cards. If any of you so much as shove that girl in the hallway I will have you expelled from this school faster than you can blink. If anything goes beyond that, let me just warn you now, there are far worse things than being expelled, far worse."

"Are you threatening us, Mr. Hatake?" Sakura asks quietly, though very seriously.

"No, Ms. Class Representative, I am merely giving you a warning. A threat is something that may or may not happen. I am assuring you that this _will_ happen if anything goes wrong."

Silence.

"Well, it seems that you all understand the situation…" he sighs with false contempt.

_Knock.Knock.Knock._

The door from the hallway opens up and Ayumi walks back into the classroom.

She glances around the room, sensing its tenseness. She brings her eyes to her guardian. _"What's going on?"_ her glance says.

"Everything is fine. We were just discussing a very heated topic on our recently finished novel, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh."

Her face scrunches up in disbelief, hands him a note from Kurenai allowing her back in class, the walks down the isle to get to her desk.

"Rest of the class period…do as you like. Read a book: great, talk: great, do homework...not like anyone would do it…"

The copperhead newbie looks to the clock, let's the time sink in, then sighs in boredom.

They still had thirty minutes of class left, meaning only fifteen had passed.

"Ayumi, do you know your way around the school yet?" the girl named Sakura asks suddenly.

She gets a slight shake of the head 'no' as a response.

"Mr. Hatake?" she asks loudly, rasing her hand, trying to get the attention of the man in the front of the class who had his legs resting nonchalantly on his desk.

"Uh?" their teacher grunts, still not looking up from his orange book.

Ino chimes in now, "Ayumi doesn't know her way around the school yet, so could me and Sakura show her around?"

"I."

"Wha-?"

"The correct grammatical organization for that sentence would be 'So could Sakura and I show her around?' Jeez, not even knowing that little thing. The whole world doesn't revolve around you Ino, no matter how hard you dream." He grumbles something about being fired because this year's wave of students are all blubbering idiots… "Fine, you can go, just don't be late for the next class period."

"Yay!" the blonde shrieks in joy at being allowed to do as she pleased. "Let's go Sakura, Ayumi!" she adds with more enthusiasm than necessary as she bolts up from her desk and runs out the door.

"She's a little scary, isn't she?" calls the left over girl from Ayumi's side. "Sadly, she's usually like that, and it gets even worse when Sasuke's name is involved."

The young girl cringes at this new information, not liking overly hyper people.

"Well then, come on." The pinkette says sweetly, grasping the copperhead's hand and leading her gently to the door.

* * *

"And this is the cafeteria, though I highly recommend that you don't eat the food. I mean come on! It's not dietary, nor is it vegetarian, and the meat is either burnt or undercooked, and the fruits and vegetables are all mushy and tasteless. It's like old people food! I started a petition last year to protest for better food, we totally kicked ass with eight hundred signatures, yet all they did was give us more crappy food. Which is totally unfair because I got carpel tunnel from that stupid writing assignment we had to do for TV for our large boycott, which we did after the petition, and I wouldn't have had that if the darn school would have listened to us and given us great food, I mean there's nothing wrong with Dominos or Chinese food every once in a while! You know what I mean?"

The blonde was given a blank stare.

"Ah…haha… shall we…continue on?" Sakura hesitantly laughs, eye twitching, trying to find a "polite way" to make Ino shut up.

Ayumi nods her head vigorously, understanding the need for silence.

"But I was just at the good part!" the blonde squeals in protest.

Sakura's self control snaps.

"You need to shut up now, Ino-pig!" she growls, lunging for her friend and extending her mouth in ways it should hot have been extended.

"Wa wu wiwwle worwead wiwch!"

"If only they made bark collars for pigs!" the pink haired fury screams.

Being too busy in their fighting, they did not notice the scared/freaked new girl slowly and quietly backing away from them.

"You're such a loser, Forehead! Sasuke will never like you, even if you are class representative!" the now freed Ino yells as she pulls on her "friends" hair.

Sakura head butts her. "Well I know he at least likes brains over brawn, you airhead!"

"Who are you calling an airhead, Forehead!?"

"I bet you didn't even know the word gullible was written on the ceiling!"

"Is it?" the blonde asks, looking up, "Hey, you liar, I don't see it!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE A GULLIBLE AIRHEAD, INO-PIG!"

"I AM NOT! Right, Ayumi?"

Both stop fighting when they realize the mute was no where in sight.

"Shit!"

* * *

Ayumi walked aimlessly around the hallways, looking for a place she recognized.

Nothing.

Her pace increased as she rounded another corner, desperate for someone to help her.

Arms incasing her, providing a sense of security to the dread and cold that she suddenly felt upon realizing she was lost.

Empty doorways and classrooms passed her by, and not even one person was visible no matter where she looked.

Her fingers went up to her mouth in worry, so soon she was nervously biting her fingernails.

"Ruff!"

She stopped suddenly, long hair swishing form the sudden lack of movement.

Her face turned to where the noise had come from, trying to talk herself out of thinking it was just her imagination.

"Ruff!"

A true smile of excitement spread across her pale skinned face as she started running to where the barking had come from.

White brick walls passed her with incredible speed as she got closer and closer to her destination.

A door.

Slamming her entire body into the stationary object she forcibly swung the door open in order to see…

Her eyes widened.

Blue skies dotted scarcely with white puffy clouds.

The roof.

She had made it to the roof.

Her face scrunched up in confusion, she didn't remember going up any stairs, and she was sure that their classroom was on the first floor, and the school was four stories high…

"Ruff!"

Snapping her attention to the ground by the railing of the roof, she found an unusual sight.

She smiled again, walking over to the small puppy before her.

Leaning down, she reached out her hand to let the animal sniff it, ensuring that the dog knew she could be trusted.

'_How adorable_' her eyes sang.

Tired from all the running she did, Ayumi sat down next to the puppy, only to find the small creature jumping onto her lap.

Her hand reached out again, this time to pet the dogs small head.

Its fur was soft and well groomed, and slightly short, though you couldn't call it a short haired breed, meaning the dog just had his hair cut.

Another smile made its way onto the copperhead's face as the small pup began to gently lick her other hand, which was resting on her knee.

"Who are you!?"

Ayumi snapped her head up at the sudden burst of the gruff voice.

"Ruff!"

The small dog leapt off the girl's lap and ran to the gray sweater/parka wearing boy.

"What's wrong, Akamaru?" he asked with concern to the dog, who responded with barks and yips. "Is that so?"

Feeling a wave of nervousness pass over her again, the girl stood up, one hand clenched in front of her chest, trying and seem less suspicious.

"Who are you?" the boy asked again, this time with kindness to his voice.

He watched the girl lean forward and open her mouth, but then she stopped, returning to her original position.

"You're pretty weird, you know that?"

She nodded.

He gave her a distrustful stare, yet tried to be friendlier toward her.

"Sorry 'bout yelling at 'ya before, it's just I'm not supposed to bring my dog to school, so I was worried you were going to steal him or something since I wasn't here." The boy stated, looking away slightly to hide an embarrassed blush.

The girl leaned forward, a bright smile replacing her nervous expression.

"I'm Kiba, my dog's Akamaru. What 'ya doing here?"

The girl bit her lip.

"Well?" he probed, lifting an annoyed eyebrow, allowing a tone of anger to infiltrate his voice.

Ayumi backed toward the railing as the boy walked closer, an expression of pissed off-ness apparent on his face.

"YO! KIBA!" an annoyingly loud voice yelled as its owner burst through the door leading to the roof. "IT'S LUNCH TIME! I BROUGHT YOU AND AKAMARU SOME FOOD!"

"Yeah, whatever Naruto…" Kiba answered, not even looking at the orange and gold boy.

The girl he was looking at glanced at the boy called Naruto quickly, a calmness coming over her face.

"Hey, where are ya-" the dog baring teen growled as the copper-haired girl bolted past him, running to the new comer.

"Ah? Ayumi? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, an oblivious sense of what had happened.

Kiba turned around to watch the two.

_He knows her?_

The girl clung onto his arm, turning to look back nervously toward Kiba, then back at Naruto.

"Him? Oh, don't be worried about him, he just looks scary, but he's as harmless as a bee."

She cringed.

"Well maybe that wasn't the best comparison…"

"Who the annoying bitch, Naruto? She won't answer me, it's really starting to piss me off."

The blonde's face wrinkled into a look of disgust.

"Well of course not you idiot! She's a mute!"

Kiba froze, his anger turning into a mass of shock and horror at how he'd acted.

"She…is…?" he breathed, turning to the frightened girl.

"I'm sorry!" he bowed, showing his sincere apology. "I didn't know!"

Naruto started laughing. "What are you doing, you idiot? Can't you see you're making yourself look like a loser?"

Kiba returned to his original posture, Akamaru still securely in his arms.

"So, Ayumi, what are you doing up here? Ino and Sakura are already in the lunchroom…they're acting kinda scary with their guilty expressions…did they kill someone?" Naruto asked, completely serious.

Ayumi shook her head no.

"What happened then?"

He got a stare.

"Oh, sorry. Here…" he placed the trays of food on the ground before he started rummaging through his school bag. "You can explain everything with this!"

He handed her a notebook and a pencil.

She nodded, accepting the utensils.

"So Kiba," Naruto asked the dog boy, who had reached for his tray of food and began eating in grievance for his actions, "Kakashi didn't even notice you weren't in class, so I don't think you have to worry about that anyway…it's just homeroom anyway, and it's not like we have homework…"

"Yeah, whatever…" he mumbled back.

The blonde was going to ask another question to the parka wearing boy, but was interrupted by a slight tapping on his shoulder.

"Ya done?"

Ayumi nodded, handing over the notebook.

"So…" he began reading.

_Ino and Sakura were showing me around the school since I didn't fully know my way yet, but they started fighting each other and I got scared, so I tried going back to the classroom on my own, but I got lost and ended up in a place where no one was, when I heard a dog barking. Thinking it was with a person I followed the sound and wound up here with Akamaru…and then Kiba came and…I think you know the rest…_

"Ah, I see. Well if it makes you feel any better Kiba was always an idiot…"

"Hey!" said boy yelled in protest.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders at the comment, not even bothering to take it back, knowing it was the truth.

Ayumi was smiling now, no longer scared, or nervous, or alone.

Kiba placed his empty tray down on the cement floor again and stood up, letting out a small mumble. "I could show you back to class…"

Nodding in agreement, both Kiba and Ayumi left, leaving Naruto and Akamaru on the roof.

* * *

"Look, I really am sorry about before…I didn't mean to offend you…or scare you…" Kiba announced once they reached the hallway.

The voiceless girl just nodded in understanding, giving his hand a small gentle squeeze with her own as proof.

Having arrived at the door to her previous classroom, the two separated.

"There's still time to grab some lunch if you want it!" Kiba called to her from down the hall, turning himself around so he was walking backwards.

She nodded, a shy grin replying to him.

"See 'ya lat-" he lost his footing and fell. "I-I'm okay!"

A small giggle made its way out of Ayumi's mouth.

Had someone been watching her, they would have noticed the phrase her eyes were saying in a teasing tone.

'_That boy really is an idiot._'

* * *

**GAH! THIS CHAPTER SUCKED! **_**cries **_**I'M NOT EVEN AT THE MAIN PLOTLINE! I'M DOOMED! THIS STORY IS DOOMED!**

**Someone just kill me now!**_** has coffin and flowers prepared already**_

**Bye!**


	5. Never in the Same Sentence

**Yes, finally I update this one. I thought of a funny scene that I wanted to have happen, so I just started typing.**

**Can you guess what the funny scene is?**

**Cookies to those who can figure it out, though I doubt it's that difficult.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

"So," Kakashi started in a friendly manner as he packed his bag with assignments and schedules of the next couple days. Today seemed to have passed much faster than before. It was odd. The teacher turned to the only student in the classroom as he spoke (everyone else had cleared out quickly when the final bell had rang) She sat casually on one of the desks in the front row, using the table as a seat instead of the actual chair. It was cute, Kakashi thought, seeing her seem so relaxed. Her legs were even swinging in habit as they dangled in the air. "How was your first day of school?"

Ayumi turned to him in response, her eyes rolling at his clichéd question, but a bright smile was on her face nonetheless.

"Well, that's good." Kakashi said relieved. He didn't know why he was so relived, it was only one day of school, but he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders now that he new it had gone well for the girl. "Did you meet any weirdoes? Lord knows we have enough in this school to go around."

His 'daughter's' face went thoughtful for a second before a mischievous grin crossed her face. She nodded, remembering the strangely rugged boy she had met on the rooftop. Kiba was his name if she remembered correctly. The name suited him.

The man behind the teacher's desk finished packing his bag, throwing the strap over his shoulder and fixing it at his side. "Shall we go?" he questioned pleasantly, his eyes closing in a way that told anyone who saw him that he was smiling.

Nodding again, Ayumi slid off the desk and followed her guardian out of the room.

* * *

"See you tomorrow Mr. Hatake!" a girl called loudly as they crossed the field to make their way toward the parking lot.

"Bye, Mr. Hatake!" another girl called. She seemed to be from the same general direction as they other girl, but Ayumi wasn't really paying attention.

Kakashi lifted a hand and gave a short wave at the two girls. "Stay out of trouble for me, okay!?" he called after them.

"Okay!" both girls called back.

Ayumi could here them giggle from where she was.

"Fan club," Kakashi answered her before she could even think of the question. "The girls seem to be quite fond of me at this school, and made a fan club for me. It was all very flattering…" the man drifted off with a cocky tone.

When they finally reached the car, Ayumi was glad they didn't need to take another step. She was incredibly tired, the excitement of the day having taken more out of her than she had thought.

She opened the door of the now familiar vehicle and stepped inside. Kakashi did the same, closing the door at the exact same time as hers closed.

Bored, Ayumi stared out the window as the engine started and they began to move, not feeling like watching the lines on the road anymore. They were next to the school now, toward the exit of the parking lot. The two girls of the fan club were visible now.

They were very pretty.

One had long hair, a pretty red hue. She was very curvy, and was very good at accessorizing. She looked to be some sort of punk-rock girl. Black bracelet like things wound up one arm, a purple glovelette on the other arm going all the way up to her elbow. Even her boots, that came up to about where her frilled black skirt started, matched the style; tall and black, with heavy looking heels and chains.

It wasn't what she had expected of a Kakashi Fan Club Member.

The other girl was slightly more like she had imagined, a slim girl, short and soft looking. Her hair was pitch black and short, framing her face. She simply wore light blue jeans and a form fitting pink shirt. Simple, yet attractive.

The two watched her, wide eyed in disbelief as she passed by them in the car. She couldn't help but feel that they were scrutinizing her, not seeing how and why she dared be in the same car with their "beloved" Mr. Hatake.

Ayumi slumped in her seat.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing, knowing better than to meddle in the angsty emotions of a teenage girl on her first day of school. So for now, he let the topic slide.

* * *

Back at the house things were getting desperate.

Kakashi stormed through the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards, yanking out drawers only to shove them closed when he couldn't find what he was looking for. Finally, he stomped his way over to the refrigerator. He opened its white door, slowly, dreading what he would find-- or better yet what he _wouldn't_. His fears were met, only the nothingness of the device greeting him.

"GAH!" Kakashi sounded in aggravation, slamming the fridge door closed with a loud outcry on the fridge's part. "IS THERE NO FOOD IN THIS HOUSE!"

Ayumi looked up from her history book, the last of her boring homework, to look awkwardly at the immature man raving in the kitchen. It was hard to see him completely form where she was laying on the floor, but from what she could make out he was indeed out of his mind; at last.

Kakashi sighed, backing away from the fridge and out of the kitchen. He stopped, leaning against the wall leading to the living room, eyeing his new daughter with defeat.

He cleared his throat, giving another sigh. "Unfortunately it seems that I will have to go to the store before we can eat anything. Wanna come?" he said awkwardly, running a hand through his messy silver hair in embarrassment. Even though it was only the grocery store, it was still considered shopping, and Kakashi did not want to be seen shopping without a girl with him. He had too much man pride.

Ayumi, of course, said nothing. Kakashi, however, knew that she was coming with, for she closed her history book and stood, walking toward him oh so casually.

"Alrighty then."

Grabbing his sweater, Kakashi and the girl headed out the door.

* * *

"Let's see…" Kakshi started, reading off the list he had visualized in his mind as they pushed their car around the store. "Six pizzas… a couple Lunchables… Cheese, we gotta have cheese… Popsicles too… I have a sudden craving for popsic-"

He stopped talking when he saw the look his companions face. It was not doubt one that said, "You've gotta be shitting me."

The popsicle-deprived man gave a defeated look, once again, at the more mature of the two of them.

"Alright, what should we get?" he asked at last, his voice aching with longing for his poor, poor popsicles.

With a huff of breath, Ayumi blew at a chunk of hair that had fallen into her face. After she had given her outburst, she started walking off into the direction of ingredients, instead of the section for artificial, pre-made food.

"Awww," Kakashi whined, seeing his easy-way-out of making food disappear slowly into the distance as he walked with the girl.

Ayumi ignored him; she seemed to be getting quite good at doing that lately…

It took them nearly twenty minutes to get what they needed. It would have gone faster, had it not been for Kakashi's stubborn rejection of everything healthy that was offered to him.

Reaching out, Ayumi returned with a cluster of broccoli.

"I don't like broccoli," Kakshi miffed, his face scrunching up in distaste at the very sight of the offending vegetable.

Ayumi ignored him, once again, and threw it into the cart.

They wandered down the isles and rows, the girl stopping every now and then to choose between a multitude different things, deciding on which was the better deal for the greater value. She was doing so now, eyeing between three different kinds of fish.

"I don't like fish." Kakashi grumbled.

Rolling her eyes at his ten-year-old argument, she tossed it into the cart alone with the broccoli and everything else. He'd eat it, she was positive about that, because he wouldn't even know it was in the food he was eating.

For once she was grateful that her guardian couldn't cook to save his life unless it involved nuking the food in a microwave or plopping it in a toaster.

Looking down into the cart, Ayumi found that they had everything they needed. Well, nearly everything…

She began walking down the isle, away from the food, toward products, which was leading to the door.

"Are we done?" Kakashi begged, excitement in his voice. "YES!"

If he hadn't been in public, he would have jumped in the air and done a fist pump. Men and shopping… he still didn't like those two words in the same sentence, not even in the same paragraph.

Ayumi said nothing, continuing to walk. Before the door got too close, and freedom for Kakashi was visible, she turned, walking to the right toward the feminine products isle.

"What are we doing now?" Kakashi asked, oblivious to the blush on the young girls face. He had never been in this section of the store before, though he new it existed. It started with women's shampoos, conditioners, hair products, working its way to soaps, razors, and…

Ayumi quickly grabbed a box of tampons, as well as a box of pads and threw them with embarrassment into the cart.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, before his eyes softened in understanding. He closed them, giving a pleasant, yet awkward smile. He had not seen this coming…

Opening his eyes again, he looked at her, his tone filled with fatherly intrusion.

"Do you have it now?" he asked, his voice even, not at all ashamed at what he was saying.

The madly blushing girl shook her head no.

"For when you get it later?" he inquired, already knowing the answer.

Now Ayumi nodded.

"Ah," the man said, completely relaxing now, the awkwardness gone, "I see. Better safe than sorry. Ooh!" he exclaimed suddenly, his train of thought switching faster than a child's. "Is that another frozen foods section I see!? Popsicles! Here I come!" he was already starting to run out of the isle and toward his favorite food, leaning over the cart as he pushed it so that he looked like a speed racer. The girl didn't even have time to protest him on his unhealthy food choice.

Not that she tried.

The popsicles were probably an excuse to get out of the isle, but he would come back with a box just to make it seem as though he hadn't. She couldn't really deny him his snack now, after he had gone through the embarrassing talk with her just now.

She clenched her teeth in irritation.

_That bastard_, she thought, _I bet he planned this the whole time._

But she couldn't get angry at him for it. Instead, she sighed, her hands relaxing at her sides as she walked after him.

She didn't even have to go the whole way, for he was already back, waving his hand above his head wildly, as though he had found a gold mine. In it, was a box with a picture of a multitude of colored icy treats. "I got them! I got them!" he cried, his eyes closed again in a giant smile.

Ayumi smiled.

He was such a kid.

* * *

"How's," Kakashi started, taking a lick at the popsickle in his hand before continuing, "your homework," he stopped to take another lick, "coming?"

Ayumi looked up at him and his childish parenting skills before looking back down at her paper.

The history assignment had been to read eleven pages out of the textbook and answer the questions at the end of the chapter. She had already managed to finish the reading (even with the distractions that Kakashi caused) and only had one more question to answer.

The section they were working on was all about Peter the Great. Unfortunately, the last question was an essay one, and demanded at least one paragraph. She just needed a couple more sentences and she would be done, but all the info from the book had been used for her other questions…

She shrugged, deciding to fluff her way out of the rest of the paragraph.

Sighing tiredly, she closed the textbook with a good, loud, slam, shoving it in her backpack and zipping it closed so that she wouldn't have to look at the offensive thing until tomorrow.

_Is this how Kakashi feels about broccoli? _she wondered.

Kakashi, seeing that she wasn't pulling out another assignment, took being done to be her answer. He gave a grin, hidden behind his dark mask, but noticeable nonetheless. Reaching backward behind him at a dangerous angle (a feat that would have had anyone else falling off of the couch in a painful manner) he pulled a packaged popsicle out of the box on the counter. He was enjoying them too much to put them in the freezer just yet, and she had been working so hard…

Kakashi sacrificed one of his beloved icies to the girl, tossing it through the air in her direction.

She caught it, startled, feeling the cold of it through the wrapper. At first she was suspicious, after all, he had made such a fuss before. He was willingly giving it up?

When she could find nothing off about the gleam in his eyes, she decided it was okay to eat.

Peeling back the wrapper she discovered a yellow colored delight. She took it completely out and shoved the tip in her mouth.

It was so cold, and the flavor tasted nice. All the stress from the day seemed to be melting with the ice in her mouth…

"See? Popsicles. They do good." Kakashi grinned, glad that he was able to bring his 'daughter' over to the dark side.

She of course, said nothing, and continued to eat hers.

Deciding to follower lead, he took the popsicle out of his mouth only to change its angle, and began to suck on the side of it. In a way, he looked like a dog with a stick.

Ayumi nearly laughed at the thought.

Closing her eyes, she could better take in the flavor of hers. Banana pineapple…

A horrified shriek woke her up from her daze. It took her a while to figure out that the sound came from Kakashi, and the moment she did she immediately thought that one of the dogs- mostly Trevor -had done something.

But the dogs were all outside at the moment…

She stared at her guardian.

His face was contorted into shock, his eyes were getting watery, like he was going to cry. He didn't move, only stared at his lap.

Had he hurt himself?

Ayumi leaned forward, nearly jumping up to help the man in pain, but she was stopped by the hoarse, grief-filled voice of his.

"My… My popsicle…" he cried.

That's when she saw what he was looking at.

His lap, his thigh to be more precise, was getting darker, absorbing the liquid that was dropped on it, a large mound of red smearing the black fabric of his pants. In his hand, frozen in the air, was an empty stick.

The popsicle had fallen onto his lap.

"My popsicle!" Kakashi cried again, this time realization coming back into his face. He was past the shock now, the grief, now he understood the horror of it.

HIS POPSICLE WAS GONE!

Ayumi held in a laugh, the reaction causing her face to contort into a large smirk.

He really was a kid after all.


End file.
